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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Samaritaine won't reopen before a long time...

If you came to Paris, you probably know about La Samaritaine, and old department store located at Pont Neuf and named after an old water pump that was near the bridge. Well, this Paris Landmark was closed in 2005 and was suppose to reopen in 2013, after a large renovation. But two associations (L'association Société pour la progtection des paysages et de l'esthétique de la France (SPPEF) and SOS Paris) pressed charges, claiming that the project does not respect the aesthetic rules of Paris. I don't know how it's going to end, because the Paris town hall and the developer appealed of course, but one thing is sure, it won't reopen before 2017 at the earliest... In the meantime, it can still be photographed!

Thanks for the update on the situation. It looked like they had started on the project but then stopped, so now I understand why. It's too bad such a beautiful place will sit stagnant for so long. Hopefully the renovations will be worth the wait. Maybe they should invite Jason Bourne back in the meantime.

Agree with Mrs. V—and in black and white it's even easier to see its excellent lines. Don't know what the developers want to do; just, please, please—let's not ever ever have a repeat of the hideous, ugly, view-spoiling Tour Montparnasse in the middle of Paris!